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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

NEW YORK: Mtzitzah: Mayor will keep consent form for now

Rewind: Regulating Mezitzah B'Peh In NYC

by Celeste Katz
Mayor de Blasio will continue many of his predecessor's public health
initiatives -- including requiring parental consent forms for mezitzah
b'peh, he and his new health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, said
Thursday.

["A Satmar faction announced during the mayoral election that de
Blasio had promised to remove the requirement in exchange for their
votes – a claim de Blasio later said was false, even though it was made
in English on a public address system in front of hundreds of hasidim by
a leader of that Satmar faction who was standing only five feet from de
Blasio when he made it." - Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com]

Bassett said "there have been some 13 infant deaths in the past
decade related to risks associated with exposure to a practitioner who
transmits herpes" during the circumcision ritual, which is observed by
some Orthodox Jews and involves a mohel removing blood from the baby
boy's wound by mouth.

The city is not outlawing mezitzah b'peh, Bassett said, but "we have
to ensure that people understand the purpose of these regulations [and]
do a better job of listening to their concerns about them."

De Blasio emphasized, "I've said we'll keep it in place while
searching for a solution that we think is more effective... There hasn't
been the kind of dialogue necessary to get to common ground." While the
city can communicate better with those who want to continue the
religious observance, he said, "our job is to protect children."
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